000 AXNT20 KNHC 200557 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST MON DEC 20 2010 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...AND ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...AND RADAR. BASED ON 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0515 UTC. ...THE ITCZ... FROM THE GUINEA COAST NEAR 10N14W TO 8N20W 9N36W TO 11N50W. SCATTERED STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 6N TO 8N BETWEEN 20W AND 27W. SCATTERED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS TO ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 30 NM TO 45 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 8N31W 4N35W THE EQUATOR AT 39W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE SOUTH OF 10N BETWEEN 40W AND 50W. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 14N51W TO A 1008 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 11N53W... TO 8N52W. STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 10N TO 11N BETWEEN 49W AND 51W...AND WITHIN A 30 NM RADIUS OF 11N52W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW CONTINUES AFTER THE LATEST TROUGH HAS MOVED ACROSS THE AREA. A SURFACE RIDGE IS ALONG 25N96W 28N90W...BEYOND SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...MISSISSIPPI... AND SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF COAST OF MEXICO FROM 20N95W TO 23N97W. MULTILAYERED CLOUDS ARE WITHIN 60 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 19N94W 21N96W 23N97W. COLD-AIR STRATIFORM CLOUDS REMAIN TO THE SOUTH OF 28N TO THE EAST OF 88W. FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE WEST OF 60W INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA...AND INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA... A LONGWAVE TROUGH ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY PASSES THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA TO 32N76W TO 26N74W TOWARD NORTHERN COASTAL HAITI. THIS TROUGH SUPPORTS THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N68W TO A 1000 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 27N69W. THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS...AND THEN DISSIPATING AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE 1000 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER TO 26N66W 20N69W...ACROSS THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 14N71W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 60 NM TO 90 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N63W 29N62W 24N65W 20N68W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...AND 20N68W 19N70W 16N70W 13N70W. GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN WITHIN 180 NM IN THE NORTHEASTERN SEMICIRCLE OF THE LOW CENTER...WITH SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 8 FEET TO 12 FEET. ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS EVEN ARE IN NORTHWESTERN VENEZUELA AND COASTAL WATERS. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... CLOUDS AND RAINSHOWERS COVER THE WATERS FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FROM 12N TO 16N BETWEEN 58W AND 67W. A SURFACE-TO-LOW LEVEL TROUGH IS ALONG 65W FROM 12N TO 16N. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A LONGWAVE TROUGH ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY PASSES THROUGH 32N28W TO 26N31W TO 22N40W. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS TO THE SOUTH OF 13N46W 21N40W 26N20W BEYOND THE WESTERN SAHARA AND MAURITANIA. AN OCCLUDED FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N18W TO 31N18W. A COLD FRONT CONTINUES FROM 31N18W TO 28N20W AND 23N27W. A DISSIPATING COLD FRONT GOES FROM 23N27W TO 20N34W. A DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 20N34W TO 19N49W. BROKEN LOW LEVEL TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 30 NM TO 45 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ENTIRE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1018 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 27N52W...FROM 20N TO 30N BETWEEN 40W AND 60W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT